There
are farmers' markets, and then there is the one & only, original Farmers Market,
at 3rd & Fairfax, L.A.'s oldest outdoor market. It is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Los Angeles; during peak Summer months,
it's visited by over 40,000 people a day.

Located right next to CBS
TV City, Farmers Market also sees its fair share of celebrities and
soap opera heartthrobs visiting from that studio. James
Dean even ate his last breakfast here - just
before embarking on his final, fatal auto trip. It has been featured in
movies, such as 1984's "Body Double" (and the director
of that film, Brian DePalma, was
recently spotted dining at the market's popular Gumbo Pot).

The L.A. Times reported sightings of Michelle
Pfeiffer, Mickey Rooney
and Doris Day.

The
trendy Kokomo Cafe seems to be one of the stars' favorite spots
at Farmers Market. Kokomo fans include Drew Barrymore,
Jodie Foster, and Denzel Washington.(Alas, Kokomo left in 2008 and relocated to
a nearby building on Beverly Blvd, which is also bring used for filming
as the "Peach Pit" hangout for the new TV remake of "Beverly
Hills 90210".)

Clint Eastwood
and Carol Burnetthave
eaten at Phil's Deli and Grill; Bob Hoskins
chose to dine at the French Crepe Company, and John Malkovich
opted for the fare at Tusquellas Seafoods. Tate Donovan
(the voice of Disney's "Hercules") said that he and former
girlfriend Jennifer Aniston ("Friends")
often had breakfast at the Market. Former Vice President Al Gore
was seen standing in line for coffee at the new Starbucks. Supermodel
Tyra Banks likes breakfast at
Du-Par's. Nancy Sinatrasays
she takes her daughter, Amanda here for Patsy's Pizza.

Which brings us to actress Teri
Garr, whose aunt and uncle used to run an Orange Julius stand
at the Market, and who says she likes to roam around there on Saturdays
with her daughter. She sometimes has a short stack of pancakes at Du-Pars,
but also visits a friend whose parents owned Patsy's Pizza (which,
she says "still the best pizza in the city!")

As
part of one of his typical stunts, David Letterman
recently drove into the parking lot of Farmers Market in a convertible
filled with tacos; he flagged down a bus-load of tourists and offered them
free food! (When Letterman's in California, he tapes his show right next
door, at CBS Television City.)

But the stars are only part of the draw here. Back
in 1934, during the Great Depression, a few farmers in the Los Angeles
area came together on this corner lot to sell their produce from the back
of their trucks, directly to the public. Little did they dream that their
impromptu co-op would expand over the years into the giant shopping and
dining complex it is today.

With
30 acres containing over 70 stalls, stores, markets and cafés, this
indoor/outdoor bazaar offers what must be one of the most eye-dazzling
display of food and produce ever presented to the public. There are over
shops, restaurants, cafes and grocery vendors, three produce stands, two
meat markets, a home made candy shop, two nut shops, two poultry marts,
twobakeries, a flower shop and two ice cream parlors.

Farmers Market is made up of a series of 15 large,
white wooden buildings (with green roofs and brown shutters) encircling
an open-air quad which is filled with at least 30 smaller, free-standing
stalls. This creates a maze of narrow, sunny walkways in between the stalls,
where shoppers can stroll and ogle the colorful displays - and each other.
People-watching is one of the most popular activities at the Market.

Simple round tables (topped with slightly-faded umbrellas)
sit in the center of these open-air aisles, allowing for patio dining with
a sidewalk café ambiance. You can pull up an ancient, green metal
folding chair at any of these tables, and enjoy your meal in the sunshine.

No
diet would long survive the sights and aromas of this grand emporium of
food. There are vast crates filled with sweet-smelling fruit: giant peaches,
shiny blue grapes, oranges as big as your fist. Is the fruit you like
most out of season? Guess again. No matter what the season - even in the
dead of winter - there will be a colorful bounty here of ripe strawberries,
watermelon, cherries, dates, figs, cantaloupes, grapefruit, mangoes, apricots,
bananas, kiwi fruit, tangerines, nectarines, and apples of every sort.
That's in addition to the fresh tomatoes, onions, potatoes, garlic, sweet
corn, avocados, yams, that are available year-round. Plus, there's fresh-squeezed
orange juice, and colorful gift packs of dried fruit ready for the mailing.

There are meat markets and cheese markets; pie shops,
chocolate shops, & pastry shops; French cafés, Mexican cantinas,
Chinese restaurants, and Jewish delis (with sandwiches too thick to fit
in your mouth). You can choose from Cajun gumbo, Japanese sushi, Belgian
waffles or Italian pasta. And of course you can mix or match, buying a
soup from one open-air café, an entree from another, and dessert
from a third stand.

The sights and smells of bountiful food surround
you everywhere. You can see (and smell!) fresh peanut butter being
made at Magee's Kitchen. Fresh horseradish is being ground nearby
from giant, gnarled roots. Nearby is a case of sweet, chunky mincemeat.
You can watch cakes being decorated, or see shiny, fresh loaves of bread
come out of the oven at the Bread Bin, or watch apples being dunked in
caramel at LittleJohn's. Over at Du-Par's restaurant,
a plate glass window lets you watch their pies being made.

At gate 2 and gate 9 are Sheltam's giant newsstands,
in the grand old tradition, loaded not only with newspapers from all over
the world, but also with a dazzling array of international magazines.

Alas, for all its visual and sensory temptations,
for all its old-time charm and giddy rush, it must be admitted that Farmers
Market is a tourist trap of the first magnitude.

Each day, tour buses line up outside, disgorging
an endless stream of Hollywood visitors - and the vendors make the most
of the easy tourist dollar. Prices at the Market can be high on some items,
but the produce vendors basically match local supermarket prices. However,
much of the food served at the cafés is disappointing - not terrible,
mind you, but generally mediocre, and certainly not what you might expect
from such a smorgasbord of culinary delights.

There are exceptions, though. There are those who
think the little Gumbo Pot is one of the best Cajun restaurants
in L.A. Du-Pars restaurant (on the west side), offers first-rate
pancake breakfasts - and they serve breakfast all day. Bob's Coffee
& Donuts is acclaimed by many as having the world's greatest jelly
donuts (not to mention their specialty: cinnamon rolls). And the KokomoCafe attracts a steady stream of upscale foodies with its trendy,
full-service menu.

But for the most part, the food at Farmers Market
looks better than it tastes.

So, you have to enjoy Farmers Market for what it
is: a giant tourist attraction, buzzing with the excitement of a million
out-of-towners (and the slower pace of local regulars); a nostalgic glimpse
back to an earlier day, with an authentic Coney Island ambiance, offering
an array of sights, sounds and aromas that will knock your socks off.

If you don't get too caught up in the hectic rush,
and if you don't get conned into spending too much of your hard-earned
cash on their overpriced Tinseltown trinkets, Farmers Market can be a fun
place to stroll among the vendors, or kick back and relax at a table with
a meal while watching the passing parade of humanity. These simple pleasures
are what has kept the Market so popular over the years, despite its age
and the fact that it is the very antithesis of glitz.

The picnic/sidewalk-café atmosphere here that
can be contagious - a sort of urban county fair where harried tourists
mingle with Hollywood types from the nearby studios, elderly Jewish immigrants
from the nearby Fairfax district and browsing yuppies from the Westside.
There are few spots that can match Farmers Market for the pure joy of people-watching.

The Market is not without its minor drawbacks, of
course: the market is over 60 years old, and looks its age; it's a bit
tacky around the edges; finding a parking spot can be tricky, crowds can
be especially dense on weekends; service at some stalls is brusque (bordering
on rude at times); there are more Hollywood souvenirs than you might imagine
possible... But it's easy to overlook the flaws - in fact, they are part
of the charm. (For instance, just stop and notice that the B&W "celebrity"
photos on the walls at Kokomo's aren't celebrities after all - but
photos of average customers!)

If you can't find a table on a crowded summer day,
here's a tip: few people notice that there is an upstairs dining
area on the north side of Farmers Market. It's usually much less crowded
up there, and its windows overlook the northern parking area and CBS TV City.
Just look for the stairs leading up. Even less-known is a small (free)
art gallery tucked away in the far northwest corner of this upstairs area,
where you can enjoy your meal while surrounded by original oil paintings.
(The gallery features work from the Beverly Hills Art League, and closes
at 4 PM.)

While you are upstairs, go over to the office (above
Gate 1) and pick up a free detailed map of the marketplace.

(Here is another little-known fact: the oldest
home in Hollywood is located in the Farmers Market parking lot! Built
back in 1852, it belonged to the family of Earl Gilmore, the man who
founded Farmers Market. In fact, Mr. Gilmore was actually born there,
and lived there until he died in 1964. His bedroom is still preserved in
its original form. It isn't easy to find this historic, 146-year-old home.
It's located in the far northeast corner of the parking lot, behind a warehouse,
between Farmers Market and CBS TV City. The house is surrounded by a high
wall and doesn't appear to be open to the public. But if the gate is open
- as it often is - you can catch a glimpse of well-manicured lawns and
the small home itself nestled among tall palm trees.)

Late Note: A huge
new retail project has been be built next door to the existing Farmers
Market. It opened in Spring of 2002, and has already become quite popular.

Named "The Grove
at Farmers Market," it is a 640,000 square-foot
open-air shopping/dining center, featuring 50 upscale shops, restaurants,
movie theatres and offices. So far, tenants include Nordstrom and flagship
stores for the Crate & Barrel, Banana Republic, FAO Schwarz
and The Gap.

The good news is that the original Farmers Market
has been left unscathed - even the Gilmore Adobe is still standing. The
new Grove was built mainly to the east and northeast of the existing
Market. The bad news is that parking was already scarce there, and with
much of the old parking lot gone, they had to build two new parking garages
in the northeast corner of the old lot. Parking in what remains of the
original lot next to the Market is very hard to come by, especially on
busy weekeneds. (A shiny green & brass trolley ferries visitors
between the original Market and the east end of the new Grove.)

I'll do a separate page on the Grove soon, but I
can tell you that it is indeed a handsome new center, with a delightful
European ambiance and colorful elements reminiscent of 2 Rodeo Drive, CityWalk
and even Disneyland.

Lets just hope the success of the new center doesn't
distrtact people from the genuine charms of the original Market...

Parking, available in the Market's large lot, was
free. But with construction of the new Grove mall next door, parking spaces
have been reduced, a new parking structure has been built, and there is
now a charge for parking (with validation from merchants).

Admission to the Market (and the Grove) is free.

Hours:

Open daily except on Christmas, Thanksgiving,
Easter, July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and New Years Day.)

Summer Hours: (June through September):

Mon-Sat: 9 AM - 9 PM.
Sun: 10 AM - 7 PM.

Winter Hours (October through May):

Mon-Sat: 9 AM - 6:30 PM.
Sun: 10 AM - 5 PM.

Getting
there: The Market is located on the
northeast corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue (just southwest of downtown
Hollywood), just south of CBS TV City.
It would be easy for a newcomer to drive right past Farmers Market without
even realizing it, since the open-air market itself is hidden away behind
an unpretentious wooden exterior. Only the twin farm clock towers call
attention to the center. / FromHollywood and Vine, take
Vine Street south (two blocks) to Sunset Blvd., turn right (west) on Sunset,
and go about two miles west on Sunset to Fairfax Avenue. Turn left (south)
on Fairfax, and go south (about three miles) to 3rd Street. The market
will be on your left (east) side. Look for the famous white, wooden clock
tower. / From the SantaMonica (10) Freeway, exit on Fairfax
Avenue, and go north (about two and a half miles) all the way to 3rd Street.
The market will be on your right (east) side. From Wilshire Boulevard,
just turn north up Fairfax and go 3/4 of a mile to 3rd Street.

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described in the article above, and does not constitute an
endorsement of this or any other business. The photos of celebrities on
this page also do not constitute
endorsements by them of any kind, and are used by the author solely to
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